Badminton
Arctic Open: PV Sindhu eases past Nozomi Okuhara in straight games
Sindhu, who lost to Okuhara in their previous two meetings, defeated the Japanese shuttler 21-13, 21-6 in just 33 minutes.
PV Sindhu will play her first semifinal of the year at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 in Kuala Lumpur on May 25, 2024.
PV Sindhu eased past long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara to move to the second round of the Arctic Open in Finland on Tuesday.
Sindhu defeated Okuhara 21-13, 21-6 in just 33 minutes.
Okuhara defeated Sindhu in their last two meetings, most recently at the BWF World Championships, where the Indian suffered a second-round exit.
With this victory, Sindhu took a 10-9 lead over Okuhara in the head-to-head rivalry.
Sindhu trailed 0-4 early in the first game.
The world no. 13 then fought her way back to claim the opening game lead with a 21-13 win.
Sindhu's relentless attack opened the gate in Okuhara's defence as the Indian shuttler quickly capitalised on the Japanese player's error.
In the second game, Sindhu was more decisive in her attack than Okuhara, whose defence was not enough to get the better of the Indian. Sindhu won the game 21-6 and advanced to the pre-quarterfinal.
Sindhu will face Wen Chi Hsu of Chinese Taipei, whom she defeated at the Asian Games 2023.
Aakarshi Kashyap, meanwhile, saved match points to defeat Lianne Tan of Germany 18-21, 22-20, 21-18. In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Sai Pratheek reached the second round. But it was the end of the road for Malvika Bansod who lost 10-21, 5-21 against Supanida Katethong.
